City-based NGO reunites dementia patient with her family

 With help from The Banyan, a city-based mental health NGO, Amina was able to recollect a few anecdotes from her past, which led her to be reunited with her family recently. But the process proved to be difficult for those at The Banyan, where she had been staying since April 2018. 

“When we brought her here, she was extremely confused and irritable and could not identify where she was at the time. Owing to her mental condition, she could not provide us with any details about her family. She only had memories of her two sons Apubekkar and Salim as well as her sisters Fathima and Roshan Bee,” said Ratheesh K Ram of The Banyan.

He added that most of the work was done by interns  associated with the centre. 

With their constant help, Amina was able to recall her childhood and about the time she spent at a unit rolling beedis.

“Amina would constantly enquire about her sons, curious to know when they would come to visit her. As a result of her medication, however, her condition improved, and she was able to remember a place called Vannarapett,” said Krishnapriya, an intern, who worked towards reuniting the 76-year-old with her family members.

When the team kept probing, Amina brought up the name Puthu ‘Vannarapett’ and Siri Nagar near the market. “We took immediate action and contacted the police station there. We sent across her photograph. They managed to find her family as there was a missing complaint at the Tiruvanmiyur police station,” she added.

Shocked to see their mother after so long, her sons recalled how she went missing a few months back. “My mother and I were travelling by bus. I merely stepped out to purchase a bottle of water for her. On returning, I did not find her. It was then that we filed a missing complaint at the police station,” said Apubekkar, who expressed happiness after being reunited with Amina.